Volvo to stop making new diesel cars

Swedish car company Volvo is phasing out the making of new diesel cars, according to its chief executive.

Hakan Samuelsson reportedly told the Financial Times that the company’s new S60 saloon will be the first model in decades to be built without a diesel engine.

Last year, Volvo announced its intention to switch to electric or hybrid cars from all its cars from 2019. However, this still left open the possibility for cars to be built where diesel engines are used in tandem with battery technologies.

While the latest move is not unexpected, it confirms for the first time the Swedish company’s intentions to completely remove diesel from all components in new models.

The manufacturer cited rising costs as one of the main reasons for ditching diesel as regulators seek to curb carbon emissions. However, Mr Samuelsson claims new petrol hybrid technology would match the amount of emissions in a current diesel car.

“We’re not saying diesel is more dirty, but it’s more complicated and more expensive,” Mr Hakan told the newspaper.

A range of major car manufacturers have recently signalled their intentions to move away from diesel cars. This year alone has seen Nissan, Fiat-Chrysler, and Porsche all make commitments to introduce electric vehicles to replace diesel models in the near future.

Morten Thaysen, a clean air campaigner at Greenpeace called on more companies to follow Volvo’s example: “You can tell which way the wind is blowing for diesel cars, which is great news for the millions of people affected by air pollution. The fact that Volvo will never launch another diesel model really is a breath of fresh air. People across Europe don’t want diesel cars, and the sooner that car companies like VW learn that, the better. Instead they need to invest in clean, healthy and affordable electric cars.”